Grand sumo’s latest tournament came to a close on Sunday. The tournament was won, in sensational style, by Onosato. Onosato claimed his fourth top division title and earned a promotion to become the sport’s 75th yokozuna.
Scroll down for more details on Onosato’s historic win and what else happened during the 2025 natsu basho.
Full top division results
| Record | East | Rank | West | Record |
| 12-3 | Hoshoryu 🇲🇳 | Yokozuna | ||
| 14-1 | Onosato 🇯🇵 | Ozeki | Kotozakura🇯🇵 | 8-7 |
| 10-5 | Daieisho 🇯🇵 | Sekiwake | Kirishima 🇲🇳 | 11-4 |
| 6-9 | Takayasu 🇯🇵 | Komusubi | Wakatakakage 🇯🇵 | 12-3 |
| 7-8 | Wakamotoharu 🇯🇵 | M1 | Oho 🇯🇵 | 7-8 |
| 7-8 | Abi 🇯🇵 | M2 | Gonoyama 🇯🇵 | 4-11 |
| 6-9 | Tamawashi 🇲🇳 | M3 | Hiradoumi 🇯🇵 | 6-9 |
| 6-9 | Takerufuji 🇯🇵 | M4 | Ichiyamamoto 🇯🇵 | 5-10 |
| 5-10 | Ura 🇯🇵 | M5 | Chiyoshoma 🇲🇳 | 4-11 |
| 10-5 | Oshoma 🇲🇳 | M6 | Tobizaru 🇯🇵 | 7-8 |
| 8-7 | Hakuoho 🇯🇵 | M7 | Churanoumi 🇯🇵 | 4-11 |
| 10-5 | Onokatsu 🇲🇳 | M8 | Kinbozan 🇰🇿 | 10-5 |
| 11-4 | Aoinishiki 🇺🇦 | M9 | Midorifuji 🇯🇵 | 6-9 |
| 9-6 | Meisei 🇯🇵 | M10 | Shodai 🇯🇵 | 6-9 |
| 9-6 | Endo 🇯🇵 | M11 | Shishi 🇺🇦 | 4-11 |
| 8-7 | Atamifuji 🇯🇵 | M12 | Takanosho 🇯🇵 | 8-7 |
| 8-7 | Tokihayate 🇯🇵 | M13 | Sadanoumi 🇯🇵 | 10-5 |
| 6-4-5 | Kotoshoho 🇯🇵 | M14 | Roga 🇷🇺 | 9-6 |
| 5-10 | Ryuden 🇯🇵 | M15 | Shonannoumi 🇯🇵 | 5-10 |
| 7-8 | Kayo 🇯🇵 | M16 | Nishikigi 🇯🇵 | 6-9 |
| 4-11 | Tamashoho 🇲🇳 | M17 | Asakoryu 🇯🇵 | 10-5 |
| 4-11 | Tochitaikai 🇯🇵 | M18 |
The Onosato era is upon us
Onosato clinched the Emperor’s Cup on Day 13 of the tournament, after he secured a 13-0 record which was impossible for anyone else to match in the remaining two days. Onosato then set his sights on securing his first ever zensho-yusho (undefeated championship). He was denied that achievement by Hoshoryu (more on him later).
Onosato’s yusho (championship) this month was his second in a row (he won the March tournament with a 12-3 record). Those back-to-back titles qualified him for a promotion from ozeki to yokozuna. On the day after the tournament the Japan Sumo Association’s yokozuna deliberation council met for a reported six minutes before unanimously voting that Onosato should be promoted to become the sport’s 75th yokozuna.
Onosato is the fastest wrestler to reach the rank of yokozuna since the 1950s, having achieved the rank after just 13 senior tournaments. He’s also the only yokozuna ever to get promoted after nothing but winning records in his previous tournaments. Onosato is also the first Japanese wrestler promoted to yokozuna since 2017. The last person to do that was Kisenosato who retired just over a year later. Kisenosato is now known under his elder name Nishonoseki. He’s Onosato’s mentor and stablemaster.
Onosato’s four yusho and early ascension to yokozuna has him primed to break all kinds of records over the next decade.
Hoshoryu still a major factor
Hoshoryu is the one man who might be able to stop Onosato from taking over the sport. Hoshoryu won the January tournament and was then promoted to being the sport’s 74th yokozuna. He was disappointing in March, though, finishing with a very un-yokozuna-like 5-5-5 record.
In May Hoshoryu got off to a rocky start, losing two of his first four bouts. However, he then went on a seven bout winning streak that took him to second place behind Onosato. A loss to his ‘frenemy’ Kirishima eliminated Hoshoryu’s chances of catching Onosato. However, on the last day of the tournament Hoshoryu had a chance to steal back some of the spotlight.
Hoshoryu vs. Onosato was a match for the ages, with Onosato hoping to go perfect and Hoshoryu looking to remind people he is still a yokozuna and still one of the very best rikishi in the sport right now.
And it was Hoshoryu who got the win this day, spoiling Onosato’s perfect record and improving his dominant head-to-head record against Onosato. He’s 6-1 against him now. The only other wrestler with more then three wins against Onosato is Kotozakura (who is 4-5 against him).
Here’s how Hoshoryu managed to extend that run against Onosato to pick up a very impressive 12-3 record.
Kirishima soars, Kotozakura skirts by
Kirishima was the best wrestler on the planet in 2023, when he won two yusho and secured a promotion to ozeki. He had a nightmare 2024, though, losing his rank due to injury and turning his yokozuna chances from very possible to highly unlikely.
Kirishima fought a fantastic May tournament from the sekiwake ranking, finishing on an 11-4 record. This gives the Mongolian a great launchpad for a potential ozeki promotion (typically you need 33 wins across three tournaments for that promotion).
Current ozeki Kotozakura just scraped by in May. He finished with a bare minimum winning record (8-7). He got his eighth win on Day 12 and then coasted for the remaining three days, giving up losses to Onosato (below), Hoshoryu and Daieisho. Kotozakura won the last tournament of 2024 (and had the most wins of anyone last year). However, injuries have been hampering his abilities since then. He was fighting to become the 74th yokozuna in January (before Hoshoryu grabbed that honour). Currently, he’s working his way back to fitness and seems more concerned with retaining his ozeki rank than progressing beyond it.
Aonishiki the real deal
Ukrainian rikishi Aonishiki went 11-4 in May and earned the Fighting Spirit Prize. Aonishiki debuted in the top division in March, where he went 11-4 and earned the Fighting Spirit Prize. This repeat May performance proved that he’s a legitimate prospect in grand sumo and someone who could rise to a very high rank.
Aonishiki is still just 21 years-old and has only competed in 11 senior tournaments. At this time of writing he’s the most exciting, and successful, up and comer in the sport. He’s a thrill to watch, too.
Here he is on Day 15 beating tough-as-nails veteran Sadanoumi (who also earned a Fighting Spirit Prize for his 10-5 record).
Takerufuji, Kusano and other notes
Takerufuji won his debut top division tournament (something which hadn’t been done in over 90 years) in March 2024. However, he hurt his ankle during that tournament and had to sit out of the next two tournaments. Since then he’s been hit and miss. In May he was a big miss, finishing with a 6-9 record. That’s his first career losing record (not including the two tournaments when he was injured). Takerufuji struggled while ranked maegashira 4. The M4 rank is one that guarantees you bouts with the best wrestlers in the sport, including the yokozuna and ozeki. Takerufuji went 0-7 against the special named rank wrestlers.
Here is his losing to komusubi Takayasu:
Takayasu was also disappointing in May. In March he finished runner up after losing a play-off bout to Onosato. He managed just a 6-9 record this time around, though.
Wakatakakage earned a promotion to sekiwake with his second place finish in May. He went 13-2 and was one of very few wrestlers to make Onosato sweat when he faced him. He earned a Technique Prize for his efforts in May (as did Kirishima).
Kusano won the juryo (second division) title in May. That’s his second juryo yusho in a row. He’s dominated that division this year and will now be promoted up to the makuuchi (top division). Kusano is the latest kid to join the top ranks with hair too short for the traditional top-not. He’s from the powerhouse Isgehama stable, home to former yokozuna Terunofuji (who retired in January) and makuuchi mainstays Midorifuji, Atamifuji, Takerufuji and Hakuoho.
Popular rikishi Hokutofuji, known as ‘The Beserker’, retired during the May tournament. Hokutofuji is best remembered for his wild warm-up routine and highly aggressive fighting style. In 2023 he came close to winning a yusho in a play-off with Hoshoryu. Since then he’s dealt with knee injuries, which forced him out of enough bouts to see him relegated down to the third division.
More sumo coverage on Combat Press
Combat Press will provide more Grand Sumo coverage in the coming weeks. We’ll have rankings, both official and unofficial, and then begin previewing the next tournament — the 2025 Nagoya tournament in July.
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